Indians enter (with bow and arrow) and gaze in wonder about. One Indian plucks Columbus by sleeve and gruntingly interrogates him concerning some wonder in the room--a picture of the king and queen, decorated with Spanish flags. The king takes the hand of the Indian, places it in Columbus' hand and, covering them with his own left hand, raises the right to signify his blessing upon the newly found land. Music gives the signal for the recessional. All fall into line and march out--guards, king, queen, Columbus, ladies, and courtiers. The Indians follow irregularly. THE BOY COLUMBUS "'Tis a wonderful story," I hear you say, "How he struggled and worked and plead and prayed, And faced every danger undismayed, With a will that would neither break nor bend, And discovered a new world in the end-- But what does it teach to a boy of today? All the worlds are discovered, you know, of course, All the rivers are traced to their utmost source; There is nothing left for a boy to find, If he had ever so much a mind To become a discoverer famous; And if we'd much rather read a book About some one else, and the risks he took, Why nobody, surely, can blame us." So you think all the worlds are discovered now; All the lands have been charted and sailed about, Their mountains climbed, their secrets found out; All the seas have been sailed and their currents known-- To the uttermost isles the winds have blown They have carried a venturing prow? Yet there lie all about us new worlds, everywhere, That await their discoverer's footfall; spread fair Are electrical worlds that no eye has yet seen, And mechanical worlds that lie hidden serene And await their Columbus securely. There are new worlds in Science and new worlds in Art, And the boy who will work with his head and his heart Will discover his new world surely. COLUMBUS AND THE EGG One day Columbus was at a dinner which a Spanish gentleman had given in his honor, and several persons were present who were jealous of the great Admiral's success. They were proud, conceited fellows, and they very soon began to try to make Columbus uncomfortable. "You have discovered strange lands beyond the seas," they said, "but what of that? We do not see why there should be so much said about it. Anybody can sail across the ocean; and anybody can coast along the islands on the other side, just as you have done. It is the simplest thing in the world." Columbus made no answer; but after a while he took an egg from a dish and said to the company: "Who among you, gentlemen, can make this egg stand on end?" One by one those at the table tried the experiment. When the egg had gone entirely around and none had succeeded, all said that it could not be done.